2. SHIPYARDS

The town’s first shipyard – later called the “Old Shipyard” – was founded on the shore of Varvinsalmi sound in Köpbacka village in 1750. It situated close to the southern border of the town of Loviisa. In 1780 another shipyard, the so called “New Shipyard”, was built on the opposite side of the Varvinsalmi sound, on the island of Siksala.

The ownership of the shipyards altered in the beginning. The shipping company, consisting of the town’s merchants, had the right to use the tools and the equipment for building a ship. From the 1760’s the Teschen family had the controlling position of the Old Shipyard. After them the yard went to the Björksten family. The first ship to be built in the Old Shipyard was fluit WREDE followed by the brigantine WIGILANTIA, the frigate GUSTAF III and the barque HELIOS, among others.

The so called “New Shipyard” was founded by merchant Elias Backman. Later the ownership went to the Sucksdorff family. The frigate FÄDERNESLANDET (1783), and the biggest merchant ship at the time, the frigate FORTUNA (1811), as well as barque UKKO (1856) and the barque MAINIO (1857) were built there. The last major works in the New Shipyard of Siksala were the overhaul of the Terichoff owned ARGON in 1883 and the repair of the ALEXANDER II.

Construction foremen came usually from Ostrobothnia – and were famous of their shipbuilding skills. Carpenters and other workmen were generally hired from Loviisa. Building big ships required as many as 40 workmen, and in such cases the carpenters were also hired from Ostrobothnia.

Vessels were usually built of pine, even oak was used. In the 19th century it became common to attach copper or zinc sheathing to the bottom of ocean-going ships to protect them from pests, such as wood boring shipworms.

In every ten years the ship underwent a major overhaul, during which the planking and deck structures were renewed. After this kind of a lager repair a sworn ship-surveyor had to measure the ship again. According to law, this survey had to be carried out every ten years.

The glass display case represents a model of the Old Shipyard.

2. SHIP OWNERS

A ship was usually owned by a group of part-owners or shareholders. This made it easier to manage the financing and to minimize the risks. The ownership was arranged by forming a shipping company in which the biggest investor was also the master of the ship. Sometimes the command of the ship could be given to an outsider by an arrangement called correspondent ship owner. This type of ownership is still in use.

Sea Captain Elias Unonius (1732 – 1802) moved from Gävle in Sweden to Loviisa in 1759 and became the first big ship owner in the town. Having been the master of a salt freighter, the frigate LOUISE, for a few years, he became a ship owner with the help of his father-in-law. Together with his eldest son, Per Mårten, he was the master of more than ten ships: the brigantine WIGILANTIA, the frigates CONSTANTIA, LIBERTAS and FORTUNA I from 1785, the ship FREDRIK, CHRISTINA JULIANA, FREDEN, PRINS GUSTAF, ELIAS, FORTUNA II and WILEHLMINA from 1803. In addition to that he also had large shares in other ships, such as the frigate GUSTAF III.

Shipowner Carl Tesche (1785 – 1814) had the frigate FORTUNA built, among others. From 1800 onwards he and his son Lorenz Tesche (1779 – 1853) were the major shipowners of frigate HOPPET and CARL as well as of brigantine HENRICA. They were also the main shareholders of the Old Shipyard, a sail cloth factory as well as of a rope factory. Not to mention the shares he had in several inland sawmills.

Merchant Israel Sucksdorff, the elder (1784 – 1865), was the largest shareholder of nine ships: the brigs HENRICA, VICTORIA, SUOMETAR and OIHONNA, the barques LOVISA, FORTUNA later HOPPET, CHRISTINA CHARLOTTA and AUGUSTE. He had shares in many sawmills in Finland and was the richest man of the town when he passed away. The Sucksdorff family was related to the Sibelius family.

Shipowner Josef Björksten (1800 – 1859) came as a young man to work at the Commercial House owned by the Gratschoff family. Later, having advanced in his career, he married the widow of Gratschoff. Josef Björksten and his son Alfred – who later carried on the business – bought shares in several inland sawmills and became also shipowners by buying shares in the following ships: the packet ship ÖSTERTJERNAN, the brigs UNION and OTAVA, the schooners WÄNSKAPEN, NIORD, TURVA, FORTUNA later ONNI, the brigantine TOIVO and the barques HELIOS and MAINIO. Josef Björksten’s younger brother Richard was a captain and worked as a master in several of these ships.

Shipowner Arseni Terichoff (1830 – 1886) was the last of the sailing ship owners in Loviisa. He was the founder of a sawmill in current Sahaniemi and was also a shareholder in a railway company. His father Feodor had settled in Loviisa already in 1830’s. Arseni Terischoff was the master of the following ships: the schooner FEODOR, the brigs JOHN, ARGO and later the ALEXANDER I and II as well as ASTREA.